.DSS to deploy forest guards to flush out terrorists, bandits hiding in forests
.Operation Sweep resumes in Abuja as Wike tightens security in FCT
.Southern leaders insist on state policing
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.
By this declaration, the police and the army are authorised to recruit more personnel. The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.
Although I had previously approved the nationwide upgrade of police training facilities, the police authorities are, by this statement, authorised to use various National Youth Service Corps camps as training depots.
The officers being withdrawn from VIP guard duties should undergo crash training to debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.
The DSS also has my authority to immediately deploy all the forest guards already trained to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests. The agency also has my directive to recruit more men to man the forests. There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil.
My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas. The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.
Let me take this moment to commend our security agencies for working together to secure the release of the 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers in Kwara State. We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage.
To the leadership and rank and file of our Armed Forces, I commend your courage and your sacrifice. This is a challenging moment for our nation and for the military institution itself. I charge you to remain resolute, to restore peace across all theatres of operation, and to uphold the highest standards of discipline and integrity. There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence. The Nigerian people are counting on you, and this administration will provide the support you need to succeed.
In addition, our administration will support state governments which have set up security outfits to safeguard their people from the terrorists bent on disrupting our national peace.
I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them.
States should rethink establishing boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security. Mosques and churches should constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.
Our administration created the Livestock Ministry to address the persistent clashes between herders and farmers. I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons. Ranching is now the path forward for sustainable livestock farming and national harmony. The Federal Government, in collaboration with the states, will work with you to solve this problem, once and for all.
I sympathise with the families who have lost their loved ones in recent attacks on soft targets in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara States. I also pay tribute to our brave soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness. This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe and ensure our citizens live in peace.
I sympathise with the families who have lost their loved ones in recent attacks on soft targets in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara States. I also pay tribute to our brave soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
.Operation Sweep resumes in Abuja as Wike tightens security in FCT
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Nyesom Wike has re-launched Operation Sweep, a joint security operation aimed at curbing rising criminal activities in Abuja, particularly kidnappings and armed robbery.
The operation, which kicked off yesterday, involves a taskforce comprising the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies deployed across strategic locations in the capital city.
Briefing newsmen shortly after a security meeting chaired by the FCT Minister in Lifecamp, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, announced that the operation will focus on four major sectors: Gwagwalada, Bwari, and two sectors within the city center, covering areas like Berger, Wuse, Karu, Mararaba, Karshi, and Orozo.
“Sometimes in between the year, when we have filled the need to commence that operation, we kick-start it. The FCT Minister, His Excellency Nyesom Wike in his wisdom, has provided adequate logistics for that operation, and it has been kick-started. It kick-started with creation of four major sectors”
The goal , the CP said is to ensure that crime doesn’t come close to the FCT, especially with the festive season approaching.
Prevent kidnappings and armed robbery.
“It is a very expanded meeting of the FCT administration and the security agencies. The highlights of our meeting are basically the activation of Operation Sweep that kick-started yesterday. It was relaunched, and that is mostly done towards the end of the year”.
Most importantly, the CP said the objectives is to intensify surveillance and patrols, especially around schools and places of worship.
“And we have also tried our best to patrol, and we have commenced in earnest the deployment of heavy logistics around the locations, especially around the fringes, where it is most likely that anyone that wants to perpetrate that level of crime will want to attempt. So schools are being patrolled, schools are being profiled, and schools are being well secured. We’re building confidence in them”.
“The Operation Sweep is to Identify and apprehend individuals disguising as beggars or dispatch riders with criminal intent, as they collaborate with relevant agencies to remove unauthorized settlements and reduce crime hotspots”.
“It is going to border on so many crimes and criminalities that we see popping up their ugly heads within or around the FCT. So basically, one, we have experienced kidnaps in some states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is painful, and we think that the Federal Capital Territory should never experience that. And so before the operation kick-started yesterday, various security agencies putting their hands together, all of us, including the police, the military, all under the military, the NSCDC, the DSS, the road safety, immigration, correctional service, all including the security agencies under the control of the FCT, came together and decided to commence our own operation Sweep”
Dantawaye appealed to residents to remain calm, trust the security agencies, and report any suspicious activities. He assured that the operation has received full backing from Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, with logistics and funding already provided.
